Friday, January 9, 2015

Jack Daniel's Smoky Bacon Mac and Cheese

Jack Daniel's Mac and Cheese recipe loaded with hickory smoked peppered bacon, tons of ooey gooey smoky cheese and a selection of spices to wake up all your senses. This is the mac and cheese of your dreams.

Macaroni and cheese has to be the #1 comfort food. But not only that its a simple go to dish. It is our favorite. Anytime you ask my 4 year old what she wants for dinner, it's mac and cheese! Well that makes 3 of us, because with all thay ooey gooey cheese I could certainly eat it every day for the rest of my life and never tire of it.

Needless to say I get the chance to create a lot of unbelievable twists on traditional mac and cheese. I am especially proud of my most recent creation - Jack Daniel's Smoky Bacon Mac and Cheese. After creating bbq sauce, pork chops, grill sauce, pulled pork, a surprising fudgy brownie and cocktail after cocktail I knew I wanted to create a Jack Daniel's Mac and Cheese.

It's ready in just 30 minutes and I know you are going to love it!

Dinner's Ready!

It's unlike any mac and cheese you have ever eaten. Jack Daniel's cooks down to leave the perfect smokiness, some maple and a hint of woodsiness to recipes and to me that meant it would be perfect with bacon!! Oodles of ooey gooey cheese, 12 ounces of hickory smoked peppered bacon and a collection of spices that will wake up your taste buds and leave you completely satisfied makes this the best mac and cheese of your life.

Check out these spectacular mac and cheese recipes! Click on the link or the photo to open in a new window.

Beer Bacon Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food. This
restaurant quality recipe goes from prep to plate in just 25 minutes
and will certainly make the Mac and Cheese Hall of Fame. I dare you to
try and eat just one bowl.

Super Simple Mac & Cheese Italian Style with a mere 7 ingredients and 15 minutes you can have this fantastic Mac
& Cheese on your table. Ooey gooey Italian cheeses and spices come together to make this the perfect Italian style stove top mac and cheese.

Bring an 8 quart covered pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, add a handful of salt and pasta. Reduce heat to medium high and cook uncovered to al dente (has a bite to it). Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile warm a large 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Using clean kitchen shears cut bacon into bite size pieces over the skillet and let them to fall into the pan. Stir occasionally as needed. Cook until crisp.

While the bacon is cooking, shred cheeses and prepare remaining ingredients.

Once bacon is cooked through, remove bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Wipe the side of the skillet to avoid flame ups.

Pour reserved bacon drippings back into the skillet over medium heat and add butter. Once melted add flour and whisk to combine. Add spices, chili paste, Worcestershire, whiskey and chicken broth. Whisk to combine. Allow to come to a bubble for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally to help pick up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add milk. Whisk to combine. Bring back to a bubble and add cheeses. Stir until cheese is melted and smooth.

Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Add bacon. Cook pasta in sauce for 5 minutes over medium heat until sauce thickens and the pasta has a chance to absorb some of the sauce.

Sprinkle with croutons, if desired.

Serve and enjoy!

Cook's Note's

Recipe may be doubled. Simply use 2x the ingredients and follow cooking directions.

Sauce will thicken as it cools. If sauce is too thick, add milk ½ cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Reheat instructions: Add pasta to pot with milk. Heat until warmed through, adding ½ cup of milk at a time until desired constancy is reached.

Freezing instructions: Allow pasta to come to room temperature. Place in resealable plastic bag or container. If using a container press a small piece of plastic wrap over top to avoid freezer burn. Will keep for up to 6 months. To reheat, that pasta and follow reheat instructions.

You can substitute another liquid for the whiskey. Beer, bourbon or chicken broth would be best.

Absolutely everything about this recipe screams my name! LOVING the addition of whiskey...yum! Thank you so much for helping us kick off this event. It's so early in the morning and all I want to eat is mac and cheese...haha :)